Outward foreign direct investment from economies in transition in a global context

They are barely visible on the global scene. But it is in part so because official statistics have difficulties in reflecting their real size. They are nevertheless gaining in importance, representing a challenge for those who want to understand why and how they expand. Analysts are at the beginning of their quest for explaining how transnational corporations from economies in transition fit into a new "zoology" of international business, in which there is space for many more species than previously believed. Policy makers in economies in transition, too, are trying to grasp with the dilemma that outward FDI presents for them: on the one hand, it strengthens the international competitiveness of the firms; on the other, it is an outflow of resources. On balance, some of the countries in transition, e.g. Hungary and Slovenia, have decided to promote outward FDI.